


To Be Lost & Found

by Emmi88



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-18
Updated: 2016-06-25
Packaged: 2018-05-27 13:54:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6287236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emmi88/pseuds/Emmi88
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU ZA - The group is struggling to survive after losing the farm when a group invites them inside their walls. Things are not what they seem, especially once the group is broken apart and given an ultimatum.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

Would we have done things differently if we had known what would happen? When we lost the farm, we thought we had lost it all, and for a time, we even thought we had lost each other. Everyone was drifting apart even though we were always together. We did everything together; we ate, hunted, cleared houses, even went to the bathroom together in the trees. But we were all alone, each of us. 

Rick was suffering the most, overtaken by guilt about Shane, hurting over what Lori had done, worrying for Carl and for the rest of us. Lori didn't know how to feel, between Rick and Shane and the baby coming she seemed like a walking ghost. Daddy was coming to grips with the loss of his life as he'd known it, readjusting to this dark new world. Maggie and Glen were wrapped up in each other while trying to keep on surviving. Carol was quiet, she felt like she just kept losing the people around her. T-Dog always seemed eager to keep moving, keep fighting for us and for himself. Carl pulled further into himself, trying to straddle the line between being a kid and a grownup. Daryl was strong, stoic; but I could tell he wanted nothing more than to keep everyone alive. And me? No one knew what to do with me. I was fed, the group made sure of that; I was protected, Daddy and Maggie barely let me out of their sight. I felt gone though, there was nothing driving me other than the bleak thoughts of surviving another day in this deep dark future. 

One foot in front of the other was all we could do. When they found us, we were just a shell of the group we had been all those months ago on the farm. We had no light, no hope, just the drive to keep each other alive for one more day. 

If we had known then what we know now, would we have still made the same choices? Some days my answer is different than others. Some days I wish I had died when I hurt myself, other days I know that my place is with the people beside me, my family. I will carry on fighting to protect them no matter what. The wolves dressed in sheep's clothing are stalking us though, and they're just as scary as the wolves dressed as death outside these walls. 

We need to get out.


	2. I Spent It In Good Company

The flames shot out from the barn and started to engulf the farmhouse. The panic began to engulf the group as they rushed to grab what they could and get to the motley assortment of vehicles that littered the front yard. Patricia was lost in the panic, getting taken down by a walker as she tried to escape the madness. Jimmy had been killed in the RV. Rick had returned without Shane before the herd arrived. 

Once away from the farm the group huddled together on the road and Rick admitted to killing Shane. But the bigger bombshell was the knowledge that everyone was infected with the disease that had taken over the world. 

Days turned to weeks, and weeks turned to months as the group scavenged homes that had been abandoned and worked their way through the woods to keep ahead of the herd. Everyone came into their own while drifting away from the people they had been when they had been at the farm. Survival was paramount, and keeping a group of their size fed was difficult. Assisting Lori through her difficult pregnancy weighed heavily on their minds every time they found a spare can of forgotten food. They all lost weight as they struggled to keep moving forward, stress and exhaustion taking its toll on all of them. 

Then everything changed. 

They had gone to sleep around a dwindling fire, everyone pressed against one another for warmth. The winter had been harsh and their clothes had become threadbare from the constant movement. Daryl and Beth sat across from each other, occasionally eyeing one another through the smoke of the fire. 

"You can rest Daryl, I have watch tonight," she whispered when she caught his eyes roaming the trees around them. 

He grunted in response and pulled his vest and jacket tighter around him to stave off the chill. Beth rolled her eyes at his stubbornness. She knew that he didn't trust her to keep watch on her own. She tried not to take it personally, Daryl stayed awake most nights. 

Beth heard a twig snap in the woods behind her and she stood quickly, gripping her knife and scanning the tree line for movement. She turned her head to glance at Daryl, he had stood at hearing the sound as well and was gripping his bow, keeping it at the ready. Another twig snapped, this time coming from Beth's right and she whirled towards the sound. Then they heard leaves brush along the forest ground to their left. Beth felt her breath pick up and bent down to shake her father without taking her eyes off the trees. Daryl touched Rick's shoulder and began to stomp out the fire. The group quietly began to stand, gathering their belongings and help one another ready themselves to move quickly. 

Men slowly emerged from the woods. Ten, by Beth's count. Ten live men with automatic weapons. Daryl brought his bow up and aimed it at the one closest to him; Lori pulled Carl behind her; T-Dog, Herschel, and Glen moved in front of Beth and Carol; Rick and Maggie faded to the back of the group to fill in the gaps of the circle. 

"Darylina?" a coarse voice called out from the darkness. 

"Merle?" Daryl replied, only lowering his weapon slightly so he could squint through the dying light. 

"Oh shit man! Jesus I didn't know we was trackin you boy!" Merle whooped as he moved forward and clapped Daryl on the shoulder. He took a moment to look around the group and laughed loudly as he laid his eyes on Rick. "Officer Friendly! Well I'll be goddamned."

"Merle," Rick acknowledged with a slight nod. 

"And you! How the fuck you alive T-Dog?" Merle asked, smirking as the words left his mouth.

"Oh you know, surviving you fucking hillbilly," T-Dog spat back at him. 

The rest of Merle's group silently observed the interactions but didn't lower their weapons. One man stepped forward and dropped his weapon to his side. 

"Is this all of you?" he asked, gesturing to the bedraggled group. 

"Why?" Herschel asked, he glanced at Daryl and arched an eyebrow in question. Daryl shook his head slightly in response, letting him know that he didn't know these men. 

"We got a community, it has walls. We were out scouting for supplies and survivors, came on your trail. If you want to come back with us, we can give you a place to sleep and a hot meal."

Rick moved forward and Glen stepped back to stand next to Maggie, maintaining their defensive circle. 

"Why should we trust you?" he asked, his voice was harsh with thirst, but Beth had to admit he still carried the air of leadership that had helped them survive thus far. 

The man shrugged. "You don't. But I can see you're tired. And from your tracks it looks like you all have been moving hard for a long time. I can also see that you have a pregnant lady and a kid there, women too. This world doesn't really make time for beggars to be choosers."

Rick sighed. He knew he sounded beaten. Herschel, Glen, and T-Dog pivoted towards him, leaning their heads together. Beth couldn't hear what was said, but Daryl had lowered his bow and when she saw Rick turn to look hard at Lori and Carl, she knew what the answer would be. 

"Fine," Rick stated. "We'll go. If we want to leave though, we leave."

"No one's forcing you," the man replied, holding his hands up in surrender. Beth noted that the gesture lost its placating effect with the automatic weapon still resting on the man's hand. 

The group gathered their belongings and moved to follow the men through the dark woods. Everyone seemed to stay on their guard, Beth's group keeping each other close. They stayed within arm's length of one another and cut glances across the distance every few seconds. Trust had not gotten them this far, and they were all keen to remember that.

When the man had offered to stop and let their group sleep, every one of them refused. The idea of letting strangers with guns watch over them while they slept was almost as scary to Beth as facing a herd of walkers. Merle asked occasional questions of Daryl, to most of which he simply grunted answers. 

Eventually the forest thinned and they came to a road. Merle didn't seem to be able to stay quiet, and mockingly began to ask Rick questions as well. His responses were similar to Daryl's, as their group continued to sweep their surroundings for walkers or some type of trap that they may be led into. 

When the walls came into view, Beth's group stopped. They took in the imposing fortress and glanced questioningly at one another. 

"Fuck me," T-Dog mumbled. 

Beth didn't know what to think of this place. The walls and guns were reassuring, but after months of sleeping outside, it felt almost like a cage. She cut her eyes to Daryl who was at her left. He was chewing on his thumbnail and looked over at her when he felt her stare on him. He shrugged and she returned the gesture. 

A gate suddenly opened, disturbing everyone's train of thought. Beth's group all responded instinctually to the loud noise, pulling guns and knives and ready to attack. A lone man ambled through the gate, a charming smile lighting up his face as he got closer to them. Beth saw him take in the sight of each member of her group, flicking his eyes quickly from one person to another. He stopped about ten feet away from Rick who remained in front of his group and lifted both arms in a gesture that anyone would have to call hospitable.

"Hello there. My name is Phillip, welcome to Woodbury."


	3. Keep Careful Watch Of My Brothers Soul

Beth's group stood out like a sore thumb against the bright and cheery backdrop of Woodbury. She felt almost self-conscious of their appearance as she took in her own shredded jeans and filthy shirt. He hair hung in ropey clumps down her back and her skin was covered in a layer of grime that she hadn't noticed until this moment. She saw every other member of her group shifting their own gazes between themselves and their surroundings. 

Philip moved around the edge of their group as the gate closed loudly behind them, sealing them into the community. He stopped as he reached the front of them and turned towards them, firmly placing himself between them and the townspeople milling around behind him. 

"Let's get you all cleaned up," he stated cheerfully. He gestured to a building to his right, "There are some showers in a locker room through there. When you're done, we'll get you all checked out with the doctor we have here and then we can get some decent food in you." Beth noticed that he never dropped his smile. 

Rick nodded, "Thank you." He grasped Lori's hand and slowly walked towards the building that Philip had motioned to. The group shuffled behind them, still shooting furtive glances around. Herschel brought up the rear of the group and stopped when he was even with Philip. 

"I appreciate you helping us," he said softly and reached his hand out to Philip. 

Philip took his hand and shook it enthusiastically. "My pleasure, all my pleasure sir."

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Beth gasped as the hot water hit her body. She could hear the other women of the group responding in kind, god only knew how long it had been since any of them had felt clean. She reveled in the fact that she could use real shampoo and conditioner on her hair and smiled when she could see the dirt swirling around the white tile and down the drain. 

Each of the women finished their showers and took turns brushing out their hair with the hairbrush that had been left for them. It hurt, lord did it hurt, but it was worth it to feel just a little more human again. Medical gowns had been left for them, and while it struck Beth as odd, she guess it made sense since Philip had told them they'd be examined by a doctor. 

Maggie took her hand as they were ushered down a hallway to what looked like a makeshift emergency room. A clean young woman in scrubs instructed them to each take a bed, and drew a privacy screen around each of them. Beth tried to relax, but after so many months of being with her group for every second of every day, even separation by the thin piece of fabric was jarring. She forced herself to take deep breaths to calm down as she heard nurses or doctors enter to see the other women in the room with her. 

A middle-aged woman pulled her screen aside and greeted her with a big smile. "Hi there, I'm June, one of the doctors here at Woodbury. I'm going to do your physical exam, just to make sure you're alright."

Beth nodded and forced a small smile on her face in response. "I'm Beth," she stated quietly. 

The doctor nodded and brought up a clipboard and pen. "Full name, dear," she prompted.

"Oh, Elizabeth Hope Greene."

"When's your birthday hun?"

"I'm seventeen. My birthday is December 10th." 

"Well dear I think that makes you eighteen now. We can't be sure, but we think its probably February or March."

"Oh...." Beth couldn't believe she'd missed her birthday, her parents had always made such a big deal about it. Surviving is more important, she chastised herself. 

The doctor continued to scribble down information that Beth gave her. No medications, no allergies, had her wisdom teeth out early, etc. etc. Beth's head shot up with the doctor's next question though.

"Last period?"

Beth scrunched up her nose at the personal question. Her face stayed scrunched up when she realized she couldn't remember. "Its been a while. I used to be regular enough, but not in a while."

"That's not uncommon dear, especially with how thin you are right now. Stress will do that. Have you ever had sex?"

"Why is that important?"

"Just wanting to rule out pregnancy as a reason for the missed periods." Beth noticed that the doctor never seemed to stop writing on the damn clipboard. 

Beth sighed as she quietly answered the doctor's question, "No m'am."

"Ok then dear, scoot down, I have to do an internal exam." She put down the clipboard and drew on a pair of latex gloves. 

"I just told you I hadn't, why do you need to do that?" Beth could feel the blush creep across her face. 

"Well dear, I just want to make sure nothing was damaged down there while y'all were running around in the wild. You do want to know if you can have children right?"

Beth shrugged and moved down the table towards the doctor. As she leaned back she thought about the doctor's question, did she want children? Before she had, but now? Now they were all so worried. She hadn't seen Lori smile in months, and although Rick was still upset about Shane, she knew that part of his worry was about Lori's safety when it was time for Lori to have the baby. 

The exam ended and June brought in a set of clothes that were a little too big for Beth, but they were clean. Once Beth slipped them on she emerged from her makeshift hospital room and the women followed another smiling woman down a hallway to a small kitchen with two long cafeteria tables with benches. Someone had made them soup and sandwiches while they had been absent. The men had already returned from their exams and had started eating, unable to wait with the temptation of food sitting in front of them. 

Beth couldn't believe how different everyone looked after a shower and clean clothes. Even Daryl cleaned up nice, she found herself laughing to herself at that realization. She settled in next to her dad and Carl, slowly working through the food that had been placed in front of her. 

"Go slow Bethy," her father cautioned. "Don't wanna get sick because you rushed it."

Philip came in as they all were beginning a second serving of their food. "We haven't been able to set up quarters for you just yet, so if you don't mind crashing in here tonight, we'll get some cots and sleeping bags set up for you. Its not ideal, and I hate to give you a bad impression of us, we just haven't had a group as large as yours come through in a while. It should all be settled by tomorrow night though."

Rick nodded and thanked the man, looking for any double meaning in his words but finding none. 

"Lori, what'd the doctor say about the baby?" Herschel called down the length of the table.

Lori actually smiled slightly and ran her hand across her abdomen. "Said it should be fine. Felt it kickin, felt it movin, gave me some prenatal vitamins."

Rick squeezed her shoulder and met her eyes. "Good. We need you to be healthy here."

She nodded in response and dropped her gaze back to her food. 

The afternoon faded into night and the group was moved once again to a gymnasium that had been set up like a dormitory. Everyone took a cot, but no one seemed able to settle down. Beth noticed that she wasn't the only one sitting up in her cot and looking around the space. She saw Daryl walking the perimeter of the room, checking the doors and windows. He looked almost incomplete without his bow. She realized suddenly that she didn't have her knife. All of them were without their weapons. They must have been taken with their dirty clothes while they were all showering, she tried to quickly assure herself. 

The lights in all the buildings in Woodbury turned off when the clock on the wall struck 10pm. Beth sighed and lay down in her cot, willing herself to shake off her nerves and go to sleep. We have to make this work, she thought to herself. For everyone.


	4. Just Like a Bullet Leaves a Gun

Beth awoke the next morning with a start. It was bright and warm in the gymnasium where they had slept overnight. She lay still on her cot, taking in the feelings of waking up inside; this place that had been deemed safe felt so different from the woods they had been traveling for months. She had a blanket, she couldn't smell the smoke of a dying fire, she wasn't shivering; but the fear that she felt every morning was still there. She still felt compelled to check her surroundings, she still didn't know what was out there. 

As she sat up on the cot, she saw that the other members of her group were mostly still asleep. Daryl and Rick were sitting on the floor against the wall, talking quietly as their eyes shifted around the room. Maggie and Glenn had pushed their cots together and were still curled up in sleep. Her father was softly snoring, and she smiled to herself knowing that he must be relaxed if he was actually that deeply asleep. 

Beth let herself flop back down in her cot; she knew that if there was anything to be afraid of right now, Rick and Daryl wouldn't be sitting on the floor. Allowing herself to drift back into a comfortable haze of sleep, she let the warmth of her blanket seep into her skin, wrapping her in a brief feeling for safety.

~~~~~

Phillip strode into the makeshift dormitory as everyone was folding the blankets on their respective cots. He walked to the middle of the group, and Beth caught his quick glance at the beds that had been pushed together by Maggie and Glenn. His face lit up with that same smile from the previous day, and Beth tried to return it with her own when he made eye contact with her as he greeted everyone in their group individually. 

"How did everyone sleep?" His loud voice seemed almost captivating to Beth. She could tell that this man had the ability to inspire loyalty and a feeling of community to the people in this town; Beth wanted to feel that too, but she knew that her loyalty was already claimed by her own group. 

Rick had swiftly joined the group from his perch on the floor as soon as Phillip had entered the room. He stood the closest to Phillip, letting his body language communicate that he was the leader of his own group.

"I think we all slept better than we have in a long time," he answered, adding a humble nod to the statement. "Thank you, truly."

"Happy to help!" Phillip replied jovially."Have you thought more about staying here in Woodbury?"

Beth felt her breath catch and she looked to Rick to take in his reaction. She knew that he was worried about Lori and Carl, how could he not be? But this town, this leader felt so far removed from the world they had just left on the other side of the walls. Beth worried that it may be too much of a change for some of the members of the group. She wanted to be safe though. She wanted her father to be able to sleep soundly at night; she wanted Lori to have a safe pregnancy; she wanted Carl to have the chance to be a teenager the way she had been before the world fell apart. 

She saw her father give Rick an encouraging half smile. Rick turned to his other side and looked at Daryl, who in turned shrugged as if to say it was Rick's call to make. Rick nodded and faced Phillip, "I think so, we'd like to give it a try. We've been runnin for so long, I think we're all a bit worn down."

Phillip clapped his hands together, "Well, as I said yesterday we were able to arrange some living quarters for y'all. They're nothing too fancy, and I apologize for that. Hopefully though they'll be suitable to each of you." He smiled and again made sure to make eye contact with each member of the group. "If y'all don't mind following me, we'll get it all squared away." Phillip turned and led the group towards the doors, throwing another smile over his should at Rick.

They moved cautiously, as they always did. Each member falling into a well-practiced defensive position as they made their way to the polished streets of Woodbury. Lori, Carl, Beth, and Carol made up the inner circle, eyes quickly appraising their surroundings and staying within arm's reach of the outer circle, silently formed by Rick, Glenn, Herschel, Maggie, T-Dog, and Daryl. Beth knew that even without their weapons, this formation would help them to protect each other. If need be, her father or Maggie could reach her in one movement and pull her into a sprint away from danger. This is where she felt safest. 

Nothing came for them, nothing was coming for them, Beth realized. It was just a casual walk down the street in Woodbury. 

They reached a building that Phillip explained was his residence and office. Beth took the chance to look around the living space, it looked like a comfortable home that the man inhabited alone. She didn't see any sign of a wife or children, though she did catch a quick glance of family portraits decorating the living room. Perhaps Phillip had lost his home and family as well, she thought to herself as she followed along behind Maggie. 

Phillip led them to what Beth assumed was his office, and gestured to them all to take a seat on the couches and chairs facing his desk. Beth perched on the edge of a couch cushion beside Maggie, the rest of her family looking as out of place on the extravagant furniture as she felt. Phillip slid into his own chair behind the large ornate desk and fixed his smile in place once again. 

"Alright, let's talk about housing," Phillip began as he opened a folder that had been waiting on his desk. "So we've divided everyone as best we could to go along with the rules we have here in place...," he trailed off as footsteps sounded in the hallway. 

Five of the armed men from the woods came in along with two of the doctors from the previous day. 

"Just in time, come in!" Phillip casually welcomed the new arrivals into the room. They all went to stand in a loose formation behind Phillip, facing the group seated across from them.

Beth and Maggie shared a look and Maggie arched an eyebrow in question.

"Somethin the matter?" Rick asked, narrowing his eyes at the people backing Phillip. 

"Not at all, not at all. As I was saying, there are some rules here in Woodbury. They've been put in place to create a safe place for people to raise their families. Outside these walls it simply isn't safe to have babies and children," He paused and looked sympathetically at Lori. "Before I made this place I lost my family. My wife, my daughters, they were taken away from me. A family is hope, and what I want is for Woodbury to be where hope is reborn."

Beth tried to follow along with Phillip's flowery logic. She felt sympathy and sadness for this man that he had lost his wife and children, and she wanted to believe that it had affected this man in a way that he felt the need to protect those left in this world. People were unpredictable though, she had learned that with Shane. 

"The solution that we've settled on here in Woodbury has been one of encouragement," Phillip continued. "We encourage families to grow, and we keep this place safe to maintain that goal." He paused for a moment and brought his hand to meet in a peak in front of his mouth. "And for families that have not yet formed or not been lucky enough to make it intact thus far, we like to give that founding relationship a push as well."

No one in the group spoke for a full minute. 

"I'm sorry?" Herschel asked, confusion evident in his voice.

"If someone is not part of a couple, we assist in arranging one for them. And then we encourage that family to grow." As he said this, he spread his hands to his sides, as though delivering a proclamation. 

Beth felt her stomach drop to her feet. 

"The fuck you talkin about?" Daryl burst out.

"We have it down to a very solid system Mr. Dixon, I assure you," Phillip responded. He maintained his smile, but Beth could see the edges of it didn't reach his eyes anymore. 

"Everyone in this group who is able to have children will be paired with a partner."

"How do you know that about people?" Maggie cut in.

"It was all part of the tests we ran yesterday dear," a doctor replied. Beth recognized June from her exam in the medical ward the previous day. "All part of the standard exam."

Beth felt a numbness spread to the tips of her toes. She had let them check her, for health reasons she had thought. No, for fertility. A wave of nausea overtook her as the realization sunk in.

Phillip continued on without acknowledging the tension that was growing quickly in the room. "We do try to keep the pairings amongst people who already know one another, its just more comfortable that way. Within a six-month period we encourage each pairing to conceive a child. If they don't, the pairing is dissolved and each person is reassigned. This horrible world we live in doesn't encourage family growth, so we take away the horror and the fear so we can foster the family units we all miss from the world before the fall."

"You're insane," Rick stated quietly. The venom in his voice was clear though.

Phillip laughed, but there was no humor in it. He dropped all pretense of a smile as he met Rick's stare head-on, leaning forward across his desk. "I assure you Mr. Grimes, you can leave right now if you do not want the protection that my town has to offer you, your wife, your son, or your unborn child. If you do not want our medical facilities to assist in the birth of your child, the medicine that could save your wife if her labor is difficult, or the food that will fill the empty stomach of your son, you are welcome to walk right out the front gates. My men here will happily escort you out. Otherwise, you and yours will abide by my rules and you will receive every resource we have available and every chance for your children to live a semblance of a normal life." 

Rick had dropped his eyes to the ground as Phillip listed off the things that he could provide Rick's family that he knew he could not. He drew in several deep breaths and looked up to meet Lori's eyes. He reached out to touch her stomach and let his hand graze down her swollen abdomen. He looked around at each member of his group, his eyes filled with such pain and sorrow that it took Beth's breath away.

"I'll make the decision for me an' Lori, but I won't presume to make it for y'all. That's on each of you," he stated solemnly. He looked around and met Herschel's gaze. "I can't make that call for ya girls Herschel." He turned to look at Carol, T-Dog, and Daryl, "S' your call, each of you. M'sorry if this breaks us all up." Beth could tell that this decision was tearing Rick apart. 

Carol reached out and grasped his hand firmly. "We're a family, all of us." She met Lori's tearful gaze across the room and stated, "I want you to be safe too. I want us to have a fresh start, all of us."

T-Dog nodded in agreement and Daryl grunted from his place at the wall. 

Phillip picked up the folder he'd opened on their arrival to his office. "We made the decisions for the pairings based on the interviews and medical exams that each of you had when you arrived. The living arrangements then were then designated by pairings."

Beth met her father's eyes and could feel tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. This is the only choice, his expression seemed to say to her. We need to be safe, we need to be safe, we need to be safe, Beth repeated in her head over and over. I don't want to die out there, so we need to be safe in here.

"Obviously Mr. and Mrs. Grimes you'll be living with your son. We have an apartment that should work for you. I noticed that the elder Miss Greene and Mr. Rhee were sharing a bed this morning, I gather you two are a couple?" Phillip looked up from his folder. Maggie and Glenn both nodded, their silence betraying their discomfort with what was happening to them. 

"Good!" He replied enthusiastically and wrote something down. "Mr. Greene, Ms. Peletier, Mr. Douglas, I saw from your records that none of you are able to have more children?" 

The three of them blushed and nodded their uncomfortable replies. Phillip continued on, oblivious to their discomfort, "Well then you'll be sharing a two bedroom apartment we have available."

"Oh good," T-Dog stated, his voice a sarcastic monotone. "I was really hopin' everyone would find out about that."

"At least your kids aren't sitting in the same room hearin' about their daddy's business," Maggie snapped and shot a glare at Phillip. 

"Always wanted you as a roommate Herschel," Carol teased him, trying to make the best of the situation. 

"Learn something new every day," Herschel chuckled and patted T-Dog on the shoulder. 

Phillip cleared his throat and continued, "As I was saying, you three will be sharing a two bedroom apartment. I'm sorry that we have to group you all together, but we don't have endless space unfortunately."

"The three of us?" Herschel interjected. "What about Bethy?"

"The younger Miss Greene will be paired with Mr. Dixon," Phillip replied, his tone leaving little room for argument and closed his folder with a flourish. 

Beth sputtered and looked at Daryl. His eyes widened as the realization of the final pairing sank in. 

"What?!" Maggie shrieked and jumped out of her seat. "She's a child! She is not being paired with anyone! She's too young!"

"Miss Greene, I implore you to sit down before I interpret your behavior as threatening." Phillip's icy tone held the promise of threats as he addressed Maggie. 

Glenn pulled Maggie back down to the couch and she grasped Beth's hand. Beth knew she should be openly panicking, but she didn't feel like she could move. She looked over at her father and he was staring at the floor, drawing deep breaths as though trying to steady himself. 

"What if we say no?" Daryl asked quietly as he began to chew on his thumbnail. 

"As I said to Mr. Grimes, you're welcome to leave." Phillip replied calmly.

"No I mean...what'll happen to Beth if I say no?" Now it was Daryl's turn to blush as he bit out his question. Beth instantly fixed her eyes on Daryl, and she felt a wave of gratitude and surprise wash over her as she realized that he was trying to look out for her. "I mean, can she go live with Herschel?" Daryl bit out the end to his question quickly, avoiding Beth's intense stare.

"No. She'll go to someone else who is waiting for a pairing. We often get single survivors that come to Woodbury."

"But she's only a kid!" Maggie exclaimed heatedly. "Can't she stay with Daddy? Or me an' Glenn?"

"She's eighteen, she's healthy, and she will be paired, Miss Greene." The finality of Phillip's tone set Beth's teeth on edge. 

"So if Daryl or Bethy says no, you'll hand both of them over to strangers or cast us back out into this hellscape?" Herschel's sorrow seeped out into his question. 

"That's a very negative way to put it Mr. Greene, but if must think of it that way, yes."

Herschel looked over to Daryl who met his eyes. They shared a silent conversation, and the longer it lasted the angrier and more devastated Beth became. She felt her life spiraling out of control, and she mourned any hope she had officially lost of living a normal life in the future. This was it, she was being married off to a man twice her age who she barely knew and expected to have children with him; if she didn't, she'd either have to suffer the same arrangement with a stranger or take her chances outside the walls against the dead. She wouldn't be the only one suffering her fate, her father's heart would break or he would leave with her and be vulnerable out there with her in the world. Beth closed her eyes and squeezed back the tears that were once again threatening to fall. 

She took a deep breath and met Daryl's blank stare as he took in her reaction. She watched as he set his shoulders in a stubborn stance and turned to narrow his eyes at Phillip. "Fine," he stated simply. 

"Bethy?" Herschel whispered, prompting her to speak her own answer. 

"Fine," she murmured. 

"Good," Phillip confirmed, "We're all set here."


	5. Give Little Time to Me or Burn This Out

Following Phillip's proclamation, the guards escorted the group out into the street, the leader looked at them pointedly. 

"Fuck you want?" Daryl bit out at the man whose eyes were locked on him. 

"Daryl..." Herschel warned, making to step towards the younger man. 

Another man stepped in front of Herschel, halting his progress.

"Time to see your housing assignments," the leader spoke up from where he stood outside of the loosely gathered group. "Jones you'll take the Grimes family over to 1152, Mitch take Mr. and Mrs. Rhee," Maggie and Glenn's heads whipped up at the mention of Maggie's new name. 

"Well, thank you for sucking all the romance out of that gesture. Good thing we like each other," Glenn joked and firmly gripped Maggie's hand. She arched her eyebrow at him and looked pointedly over at Beth and Daryl. "Oh..." he said, catching on to his faux pas. "Sorry guys."

Maggie rolled her eyes and turned to the guard assigned to her and Glenn, "Let's get this over with Mitch," she said, infusing all the hate in her body into the guard's name.

Maggie practically stomped away pulling Glenn along with her as she trailed along behind the guard. Rick took Lori's hand and wrapped his other arm around Carl's shoulders as they slowly followed their own escort from the street.

"Ok, Dave take Mr. Greene, Ms. Peletier, and Mr. Douglas along, and Gorman you'll escort Mr. and Mrs. Dixon."

Daryl could hear both Herschel and Beth's sharp intake of breath as she was assigned her new name. He saw her turn to face her father, who reached out and drew her into a tight hug. He heard Herschel whisper something into her ear and watched her nod in response and she wiped the tears from her eyes. Carol reached out and took Herschel's hand to guide him as they followed along behind T-Dog and the guard. 

To Daryl's dismay, he realized the man who was assigned to guide he and Beth to their new home was the man who had stepped into his space earlier when he had spoken up. 

The guard, Gorman, stepped in front of Beth as she watched her father leave. He leaned forward and brushed a lock of hair back from her face, the sudden contact startling her from her haze. Beth immediately took a quick step back and narrowed her eyes at Gorman.

"What are you doing?" she hissed at the guard.

"Well blondie, I haven't seen anyone quite so... unmarked as you in quite some time," he openly raked his eyes down her form as he replied to her question.

Daryl saw red. He'd heard the expression before, but it didn't really make sense to him until this very moment. When that asshole had touched Beth, he'd felt anger start to take root in his chest and curl out into his body; but when he'd said that perverted shit to her, he lost control. Daryl stepped in front of Beth, blocking her from Gorman's sight, letting out what could only be described as a growl. 

"Don't you fuckin' touch 'er," he stated, his voice quiet and lethal. "I'case you didn' hear yer boss, this here's ma wife, and if you even talk to 'er again, I'll kill ya."

He could hear Beth's sharp intake of breath from behind him, but he refused to break eye contact with Gorman. Daryl had no idea what had possessed him to refer to Beth the way he did or why he felt like he had to take it on himself to step in, but he sure as shit wasn't going to let this douchebag take advantage of a teenage girl, let alone Herschel's teenage daughter. 

"I see how it is," Gorman chuckled as he stepped away from Daryl. "You want to keep this fresh one to yourself. I get it, man." He turned on his heel and beckoned them over his shoulder to follow him. 

Daryl finally looked back at Beth, who was staring up at him with wide eyes and an unreadable expression. 

"Thank you, Daryl. But you didn't need to stick up for me, I can handle it myself."

"Suit yerself," Daryl muttered and turned away from her, starting to follow Gorman. 

Beth scurried along behind the two men, rushing to keep up with them as she realized they were leaving without her. She felt numb, numb and scared, if she was honest with herself. In one morning, she had lost her freedom, her dreams of having a loving husband and family, and now her name. She knew she was being ridiculous that she was so upset about her name, but she reasoned with herself that she hadn't stopped being Beth Greene willingly. 

She kept her eyes on Daryl's back as they made their way through the settlement of Woodbury, afraid to take in her surroundings, afraid that it would make the fact that this was now her home more real. She caught up to Daryl as Gorman led them into an apartment building and stopped in front of a door that was indistinguishable from the others like it in the hallway. 

"Home sweet home," Gorman teased. He clapped Daryl on the shoulder, and Beth noticed Daryl quickly shy away from the contact before swiftly stepping into the apartment. As Gorman moved past Beth he leaned in and very obviously sniffed her hair. She shuddered at his action and snapped out, "Leave me alone!" 

Gorman immediately stopped and took one large step towards Beth, forcing her to back up against the wall. Her eyes widened at the aggressive act and she forced herself to keep her hands at her sides rather than push him away from her. 

"Don't you be gettin' the same mouth on you as yer redneck husband in there," he brought his hand up and ran his fingertips down the length of her arm. "I'd hate to see you spoilt by his ways. When you get bored, you come find me, little girl."

Beth cringed at his words and he laughed at her discomfort. He sauntered down the hallway without a backwards glance. Once he was out of sight, Beth slipped into the apartment and closed the door behind her. She leaned against the door, using it to keep her steady as her adrenaline worked its way out of her system. 

"Yeah, ya did great handlin' yerself there Bethy," Daryl smirked at her from where he stood in front of a large living room window. 

"Shut up Daryl!" she spit out, pushing herself from the door. He chuckled in response to her anger, which only served to set her off more. She turned away from him and stomped off to explore the apartment. She peered into the small kitchen that held all sorts of appliances that she hadn't seen since they left the farm. The living room was furnished with generic furniture and even a house plant. Their small bathroom had running water and a toilet that worked. "Thank heaven for small miracles," she muttered to herself at the luxuries she had once taken for granted. Lastly she opened the bedroom door and she was suddenly confronted with the reality of the situation. There was one bedroom. She was expected to share not only an apartment, but a bed, with Daryl. 

He had snuck up behind her as she stood in the doorway to the bedroom, noticing that she was frozen in place. "S'the matter?" he asked.

She jumped at his voice but didn't turn around. "We're married now? We live here together...we're supposed to sleep together..." she trailed off as she continued to stare at the bed in the center of the room. 

Daryl suddenly felt like he couldn't breathe. Seeing the bed they were meant to share brought all of his earlier amusement at teasing Beth to a crashing halt. He was expected to have sex with Beth Greene. Beth Dixon. Fuck, she was right, they were goddamn married now. She was eighteen goddamn years old. She was half his age. Daryl's head continued to spin until he felt like he couldn't breathe. 

"Ima gonna go outside, see if I can find Rick," he muttered, hastily backing his way down the hallway. He opened the door, shutting it firmly behind him. Daryl practically jogged down the hallway of the apartment building, desperately needing fresh air.

Beth felt the beginnings of tears threaten to spill over as Daryl ran from her. She knew he was as scared as she was, but it still stung a little that he wouldn't stay with her to process their situation together. Beth took one step forward, breaching the threshold so that she now stood in the bedroom that she was fated to share with Daryl...her husband. Her breath caught in her throat as she let the idea sink in that she was married to Daryl. No white dress, no ceremony, no flowers...no love. 

Beth slid to the floor as she let go, the tears falling freely down her face. She allowed herself to mourn the dreams for a life she had long ago said goodbye to. She cried for the situation she and her family found themselves in. And she prayed that this place would be worth it.


	6. Everyone is Lookin For Someone to Blame

Daryl took in a deep breath as he reached the outside of the apartment building. It did nothing. He took in another. He realized he was bent over at the waist, bracing his hands on his knees as he stared at the ground. 

"There ya are Darylina!" He stood up straight as he heard Merle's loud voice. His brother was ambling towards him, shit-eating grin on his face. It was then that Daryl realized what he had missed in the darkness of the woods the previous night - Merle had a knife for a hand. Knowing his brother though, Daryl chose not to point out this obvious fact to him. 

Daryl grunted out a response as Merle reached out to clap him on the shoulder. 

"So baby brother, let's go fer a walk," Merle smirked at him and wrapped his knife-wielding arm around Daryl's shoulders. He let himself be dragged along with his brother, and allowed himself to be pulled into another apartment building. Merle pushed open the door to his apartment, and Daryl was struck by how much less there was in this apartment compared to the one he had just been assigned. It was a small studio apartment with a twin-sized bed, a fold-out card table with four folding chairs around it, a tiny kitchen attached to the main room, and a bathroom the size of a closet. 

Merle caught Daryl looking around, appraising his surroundings and looking like a deer caught in headlights. "Sit down," he instructed Daryl, gesturing to the folding chairs. As Daryl did as Merle said, he went to the cabinet and pulled down a mason jar full of clear liquid. He took his place at the table across from Daryl and placed the jar on the surface in between them. Daryl narrowed his eyes at the jar and Merle just chuckled in response. 

"Ya can relax, baby brother," Merle said quietly, using the tip of his knife-hand to nudge the jar closer to Daryl. He watched his sibling reach for the glass with hesitation and smirked at the expression that crossed his face when he caught wind of the strong alcohol as he unscrewed the lid. 

"I ain't drank since we was at the CDC," Daryl mumbled to himself and took a small sip of the moonshine.

"Sounds like Officer Friendly took ya all over Georgia," Merle replied, and Daryl could hear the bitterness on this tongue. 

"Mhmmm," Daryl answered. He knew his brother would begrudge his choosing to stay with Rick after the incident in Atlanta. It didn't make this conversation any less hard to have though. "Yeah, we been a few places." Daryl chewed on his thumb, finally bringing his eyes up to meet Merle's. Merle raised his eyebrows expectantly.

Daryl let out a long sigh and took a larger gulp of the moonshine. "Fine. We went back fer ya in Atlanta, found that ya were gone from the roof where Rick lef' ya. The city didn' work out, Glenn got taken an' we had to get 'im back. After that we ended up losin' the camp a' the quarry. Got o'er run by walkers one night, we lost a lot o' people. Andrea lost Amy..." Daryl paused and swirled the moonshine around the glass before pushing it back towards Merle. "Decided to try the CDC, we lost Jim along the way. We got there, there was only one guy left though. He fed us, let us shower and we all got smashed. Glenn an' Rick are fuckin' funny when they drink," Daryl let a slight smile cross his face, but dropped it the instant he caught the look Merle was giving him. He looked...hurt? Daryl couldn't believe that was the case."Anyways, the man ended up bein' crazy, alone too long I guess. He set off a self-destruct, an' was intendin' to take us all wit' 'im. Rick talked 'im inta lettin' us go, Jackie decided ta stay, said she was done.

"Go caught up in a traffic snarl on the damned highway, lost Carol's girl when a herd moved through. We went out to find her, and Carl got shot by some stupid hunter who didn' know what he was doin'. He took us to Herschel's farm, Herschel patched 'im up, let us stay there. I looked for Sophia fer a long time, but turned out she was bit an' turned." Daryl stopped to draw in a deep breath and felt for the cigarettes in his pocket. When he pulled one out he offered another to Merle who nodded appreciatively and produced a lighter from his own pocket. Daryl inhaled and let the smoke curl into his lungs and decided he wasn't going to tell Merle about the setup at Herschel's farm. He knew his brother would think badly of the old man, and he'd grown too attached to him to allow Merle to fault him for his previous beliefs about the walkers. 

Daryl cleared his throat and took another drag of his cigarette before continuing. "Rick talked Herschel inta lettin' us stay fer a while, cuz he found out Lori's pregnant -"

"Is it his or that bastard Shane's?" Merle interrupted with a smirk.

Daryl shrugged in response. "Dunno, none o' my business. But we stayed there with Herschel and his girls, taught 'em what we could. I had to put down Dale, walker got him one night, tore him almost in half..." 

Merle pushed the glass back across the table and Daryl took another gulp.

"A lot o' shit went down...Shane wen' crazy, tried to kill Rick an' take Carl. Rick killed 'im..." Daryl hated to do it, but he kept the fact that Shane came back without being bitten to himself. He wanted to talk to Rick before he started sharing the fact that they were all infected. "Same night we lost the farm. Big-ass herd came through and shit hit the fan. The barn caught fire, it moved towards the house, there were too many o' them to do anythin' other than run. One o' Herschel's friends got bit, we lost track o' Andrea...I dunno, we jus' been tryin' to survive since..." He looked up at his brother, trying to read his expression. Merle had always been good at keeping his emotions hidden, and it seemed like this trait had stayed with him.

"And now you're back with ol' Merley," he smiled and grabbed for the jar of moonshine. After a couple of sizeable pulls from the mason jar, he brought he gaze back to Daryl. "How'd yer meetin' wit' the Governor go?"

Daryl looked at him with a confused expression.

"The Governor, ya know, Philip." 

"The fuck he called that?" Daryl asked around another drag of his cigarette. 

Merle shrugged. "Dunno, been that since I met up wit' him a while back. Fittin' though. He got control o' this place, these people, me, you...you get paired baby brother?"

Daryl blushed and ducked his head to hide the color he was sure was spreading across his face. 

Merle cackled and handed the jar over to Daryl. "Ha! Well, congratulations on gettin' hitched kid!"

"'S fuckin' stupid! I ain't fuckin' married, this is bullshit," Daryl slammed his hands on the table in frustration. "I got paired with one o' Herschel's daughters, she's a fuckin' kid!"

"What she gross or somethin?" Merle asked, pulling the moonshine back towards himself and away from Daryl's wrath. 

"Jesus Christ Merle that ain' the point!"

"So she ain' nasty then?"

"No," Daryl replied, sounding defeated. He'd honestly never looked at Beth the way he was supposed to now. But yes, he admitted to himself, she was fairly easy on the eyes. "She's pretty enough, yeah. Ain' the point though! I don' wanna be anyone's husband, let alone someone who don' choose it. Shit's fuckin' nuts Merle!"

Daryl looked at his brother, imploring him to see how bad this situation was for him. Merle narrowed his eyes at him and leaned in, taking one last drag of his cigarette before crushing it out in an empty soda can on the table. "Could be worse Darylina, ya could be out there still. Yer wife could still be out there, without you to keep her safe. Ya best keep yer mouth shut and yer opinions to yerself though baby brother, otherwise that's exactly what'll happen. It ain't good when people don' like the rules the Governor makes. I jus' got ya back, don' be stupid and fuck this up for yerself or yer girl."

"She ain't ma girl," Daryl muttered.

"She is now. Ya best get tha' shit through yer head. Her daddy ain't goin' be able to do shit if anyone comes after her, that's on ya."

Daryl felt a chill go through him at Merle's words. The image of Gorman touching Beth's hair and hearing what he said to her in the hallway outside their apartment ran through his head. Shit. "That happen a lot?" He asked quietly.

Merle leaned back into his chair. "Ain't unheard of. People git bored a' the end o' tha world, sometimes shit hits tha fan."

Beth's innocent smile and stubborn attitude flashed in Daryl's mind. Girl could easily get in trouble just by trying to defend herself, hell he'd already seen one asshole proposition her and they'd been there less than twenty-four hours. "What about this havin' kids thing?" Daryl bit out as another blush crawled across his skin.

"Its serious, don' doubt that shit. If ya don' have kids in the time frame, yer girl get's put wit someone else, and they give ya a different one. Shit's medieval if ya ask me." Merle chuckled darkly and drained the rest of the moonshine. 

Daryl felt his breath catch in his throat at the idea of Beth being pulled out of their home, of some strange woman taking Beth's place in his life...in his bed. Daryl blushed again and cursed under his breath. 

"Don' try nothin' stupid neither Daryl. They find any pills or condoms or anything they'll punish both yer asses."

Fuck. Daryl nodded slightly, letting his chin fall to his chest. 

"What's her name, kid?" Merle asked softly, looking at his brother intently. 

"Beth," Daryl breathed out.

"Beth and Darylina, sounds like y'all make a beautiful couple."


	7. You Don't Need Me But You Won't Leave Me

Daryl left Merle's apartment as the sun began to set beyond the trees. It took him a while to find his way back to the apartment building where he'd been set up with Beth, and he breathed a sigh of relief that he wouldn't have to go back and ask Merle for directions; he had a feeling that Merle had used up all of his ration of kindness for the day.

He leaned his forehead against the front door of the apartment and closed his eyes, letting everything that Merle had told him sink in. It all felt so surreal. Two nights ago he and his group had been camped around a fire in the middle of the woods, hoping they'd find something to fill their bellies. Romance and furthering the world's population may in fact have been the furthest thing from his mind. Now here he was, in an apartment building he didn't have to even check for walkers, "married" to Beth Greene, and expected to share a home and hearth with her. And kids...kids. Fuck. He was supposed to have kids with Herschel's goddamn daughter. It wasn't that Beth wasn't cute...or sweet...or kind...shit. But after the way he'd grown up, he'd never wanted to knock anyone up, let alone a good girl who had the all the possibilities of the world at her feet. She was stuck with his sorry ass as much as he was stuck with her.

Daryl decided right then and there that he would hold off on this whole having kids thing with Beth as long as possible, by then maybe things would change. Maybe the rules would be different or he could find a way to get around it. Lori'd have the kid by then and maybe he could convince Rick to get their group out of there. Or maybe he could take off with Merle if he could find a way to keep the rest of his group safe.

Daryl huffed against the door and turned the knob, letting himself into the apartment. His eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness of the living room. He realized for the hundredth time since they'd gotten to Woodbury that he didn't have his crossbow. He didn't know where they'd taken it, and he'd forgotten to ask Merle about it, too distracted by all the other things that had been thrown at him in such a short amount of time. He turned to walk down the darkened hallway towards the bedroom that he and Beth were supposed to share. When he got there though, it was empty and dark as well.

He didn't really care where had Beth had gone, but then his brother's words rang through his head.

_Her daddy ain't goin' be able to do shit if anyone comes after her, that's on ya._

Shit. Daryl stomped back down the hallway towards the front door, intent on finding Beth before she got herself in trouble. Or better yet, he should find Herschel and see if he had any ideas about what he was supposed to do. Maybe he could keep Beth safe.

It was then that Daryl realized that the bathroom light was on and he could hear Beth humming quietly inside. He felt his shoulders sag with relief and he went to the kitchen, turning on lights as he went. He still wasn't used to having electricity again. His head turned back to the hallway quickly when he heard the bathroom door open.

Beth stopped humming when she caught sight of him standing in the kitchen. Her hair was wet and hanging in long tangles down her back and her eyes were wide with...embarrassment maybe? Daryl quickly realized why when he saw that she was only wrapped in a towel.

"Shit! Sorry Beth," he mumbled quickly as he averted his eyes and turned around.

"S'ok. I'll be right back," she replied quietly. Her voice sounded hoarse to Daryl, and he realized that she had probably been crying. A pang of guilt hit him as he remembered that she had been upset when he ran away earlier. Maybe he should have stayed with her, but he had felt like his lungs may explode if he hadn't gone when he did. He heard her close the bedroom door and start opening drawers in the bedroom.

Daryl went to move to sit on the couch, when he realized that he didn't know what to say to Beth when she came back out of the bedroom. Their bedroom. He decided to nip that in the bud right then and there. He stalked down the hallway and knocked on the bedroom door. Daryl took a step back when Beth opened it. Her expression was wary and nervous, and it came to him that she was anxious was about him.

"I'm goin' sleep out there Beth," he muttered, gesturing loosely at the rest of the apartment behind him.

He noticed the tension slide from her face at his statement and she nodded.

"You sure Daryl?" she asked.

He grunted and nodded in reply. "Go on, take the bed. I prefer tha couch anyways."

"Thank you, Daryl," she whispered, giving him a small smile before she moved to close the bedroom door.

"Beth," he started. She paused and looked at him expectantly. "We'll figure this shit out."

She looked down at the floor and he saw her eyes fill with tears. She blinked them away rapidly before she looked back up at him. Her face was hard, resolved. The girl he had known at the farm wasn't there anymore. The slip of a kid that Herschel and Maggie had treated like a porcelain doll was nowhere to be seen. This Beth was strong and determined, her expression seemed to be darkened by the weight of the world, the weight of the situation they found themselves in. This Beth was different than the one he'd left in the apartment hours ago, it was like she'd grown up in one afternoon.

"You're right Daryl, we will." Beth gave him one more quick nod and closed the bedroom door quietly.

Daryl hadn't realized he'd been holding his breath while observing her. He let it out and made his way back to the couch. As he lay down, he became aware that his heart was pounding as well. Beth had done that to him. And the idea that Beth Greene could have an effect on him at all scared him more than he cared to acknowledge.


	8. Once Upon a Different Life

Beth could smell the liquor on him when he knocked on the bedroom door. The smell echoed the memories of the darker days of her childhood when her daddy was still drinking. She was still only dressed in a towel, she decided to hide most of her body behind the door as she spoke to Daryl.

She hadn't intended for him to see her when she was getting out of the shower. She had broken down on the floor of their bedroom, she had been so angry with him for leaving her alone in this place. When she had pulled herself up and stomped off to the bathroom, she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror and very quickly made peace with Daryl's absence. She looked like she...well, quite frankly she had cried herself ugly. The warmth of the shower soothed her puffy eyes and cleared her head. She wasn't going to go along all of these imposed changes without talking to her group. Her daddy and Rick would know what to do. Daryl...he was her partner now, her roommate at the very least. He had to have some sort of idea as to what they should be doing.

She hadn't heard him come into their apartment, and more than anything it scared her down to her bones that she had already allowed her defenses to drop. He had looked just as embarrassed as she felt when he caught sight of her undressed state; the tips of his ears tinged red as she caught him taking in her bare skin. She had had a moment of panic when he knocked on their bedroom door. What if he was drunk and wanted to take advantage of their new living arrangement? She immediately flushed with regret that she had even let the thought cross her mind. Daryl would never hurt her, she knew that; besides the fact that her daddy wouldn't have let her out of his sight if he didn't trust Daryl, she felt the truth of it deep within her, Daryl would keep her safe.

* * *

Daryl woke up with a hangover for the first time in a long time. Goddamn Merle. He was back in Daryl's life for 24 hours and he was already a bad influence. He could feel the tendrils of pain working their way through his head and his stomach was rolling before he even opened his eyes. But then he smelled it - coffee. And bacon. He lifted his head to look over the back of the couch he'd passed out after he'd spoken to Beth the previous evening. Beth's back was to him as she worked at the kitchen counter so he was free to take her in without her notice. She was wearing a large t-shirt, it was obviously a man's shirt and the collar was dropping down, exposing her pale shoulder. She also was donning what looked like men's boxer shorts, and her long blond curls were loose down her back. She was balancing on one leg, her left foot resting lightly on her right calf. Her legs were much longer than he had ever noticed before; she was such a tiny thing, and she somehow looked even smaller in this moment. She was relaxed, she was making breakfast in her pajamas - this is what she would look like if she had gotten to be a normal teenager.

Daryl rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands and let out a soft groan. As he opened his eyes Beth came into his view and placed a glass of water in front of him on the coffee table.

"They don't have medicine or anythin' in the cabinets here, but water should help with that, right?" she asked, the corner of her mouth quirking up into a teasing smile. "Don' think I've seen anyone drunk since before all this happened, Daryl. Did you find Rick last night?" She laughed at the scowl he could feel spreading across his face and walked back to the kitchen.

"Naw," he mumbled as he stood up and stretched his arms over his head, feeling his joints pop and his shoulders crack. "Merle foun' me, I wen' up ta where he stays, drank some moonshine he had. I wasn' drunk neither, just ain't used to drinkin'."

He heard Beth laugh softly and her smile carried over as she turned from the counter to face him. She held a cup of coffee in one hand and a plate with eggs, bacon, and toast in the other. His mouth watered at the sight and smell of breakfast and he ambled over to meet Beth where she stood so he could try to calm the rolling feeling in his stomach.

"Is over-easy ok? Its been a while since I cooked on a stove...I feel out of practice," she bit her lip as he took the plate of food from her and leaned himself against the counter next to her. He felt himself blush as inappropriate thoughts flashed across his mind. Beth was standing in their kitchen feeding him breakfast, biting her lip and looking up at him with her big doe-eyes, and her damn shoulder was still sticking out of her too-big shirt. She looked like a goddamn domestic wet-dream.

Daryl coughed to cover his discomfort and took a bite of the food. "Darlin' we been on the verge of eatin' dog food for the last year. I think I'll eat whatever eggs ya make fer me."

She threw her head back and laughed at his words. The sound startled him at first; he had no idea that tiny Beth had such a big laugh. She laughed with her whole body, and unconsciously clapped her hands together in front of her mouth. When her eyes met his again, she continued to giggle at the absurdity of her question.

Daryl smiled as he watched her, feeling the color continue to rise in his cheeks. "Who's clothes are those?"

Beth looked down at her pajamas and blushed at the realization that she was still dressed in them. "Yours, I guess. They were in the dresser in the bedroom."

"You already stealin' my clothes, girl?" Daryl joked. He felt the need to cover any of the feelings it stirred up in him to hear that Beth was sleeping in his underwear and t-shirt. He realized something then - he liked this relaxed Beth. Her laugh was easy and her smiles freely given. Even though they were at the end of the world, she still cared that she made his eggs right. She made him start to feel alright about the idea of sharing a space with her.

She giggled again and drank down the rest of her coffee. She rolled her eyes and let out soft sigh.

"What are we going to do Daryl?" she asked quietly and looked down at her empty cup.

Daryl shrugged and let out his own sigh that echoed hers. "I don' know Beth. I talked ta Merle, and I can' get a feel fer this place. It looks nice, but it don' feel right. Plus there's this," he motioned his hand between the two of them. "Dunno what shit they're playin' at with this whole pairin' thang."

"What did Merle say?" she turned back towards him as she spoke, her brow furrowing and she began worrying her lip between her teeth again.

Daryl shot his gaze away from her before he answered. "Said a lot of wha' tha Governor said yesterday-"

"Who?"

"Evidently, Phillip calls himself 'Tha Govenor'," Daryl held up his hands to make quotation marks around the man's title.

Beth snorted at that new piece of information and Daryl allowed his lips to rest in a small smile at her reaction.

"S'what I said too." Daryl took another pull of his coffee. "Merle said not ta underestimate 'im and this pairin' shit. Said tha Governor ain't afraid to hand out punishments fer goin' against his rules. Dunno what that means, but Merle ain't gonna lie ta me 'bout that shit."

Beth nodded her head seriously and continued to stare at Daryl. "We should talk to Rick and my daddy."

Daryl let out a grunt and nodded his head once. "Lemme take a shower, and we'll go an' find 'em."

* * *

Beth tried to avert her eyes as Daryl made his way back to the bedroom in a towel after his shower. She tried, she really did, she reasoned with herself. But she was only human, and she felt her face heat up as she watched him bolt down the hallway. He had a towel around his waist and held another around his shoulders, covering his back, but they didn't cover the muscles of his arms as he moved quickly away from her. She could appreciate his arms without him knowing, she told herself.

As soon as the bedroom door closed behind him, a knock sounded at the front door. Beth turned her head to peer down the hallway, but Daryl didn't emerge from the bedroom. Squaring her shoulders she strode across the room and silently praised herself for getting dressed while Daryl was showering. Having one man see her in pajamas was enough for her this morning.

She pulled open the door to find Merle leaning against the opposite wall, picking at a spot on the knife he wore for a hand. He lifted his eyes to meet hers and a wide, sly grin slid across his face.

"Merle, right?" she asked and stepped aside to let him in to the apartment.

"Thas right," he answered, never dropping the smile. In fact, it seemed to only amuse him more once he heard her speak. "So, yer Darylina's wife?" Beth shrugged in response. Merle laughed at her reaction. "Git used it girl, s'what ya are now. Whas yer name, Blondie?"

Beth arched an eyebrow at Daryl's brother. She had a feeling his nickname for her was sticking whether she told him her name or not. "Beth," she said softly. She gave him a sincere smile, because that's what her mama and daddy has always taught her was the polite thing to do when you met someone - even if that someone was a one-handed, knife-wielding, rough-spoken redneck in the midst of the apocalypse. The most she could hope for was that he wouldn't continue to laugh at her the whole time he was here.

All of a sudden Merle's smile disappeared and he shook his head almost imperceptibly. "Aw Blondie," his voice rough and laced with what sounded nearly like concern, "Ya weren't made fer this world, were ya?"

Beth felt her stomach drop and tears threaten her eyes at his words. She had thought those exact words before she had slit her wrist open at the farm. She knew that's why her daddy and Maggie never let her out of their sight...and it broke her heart that someone could tell that about her just from meeting her once.

"Merle?" Daryl's voice called from down the hall. Instantly Merle's smile returned and Beth turned away to cover her distress. Daryl entered the room and immediately looked back and forth between Beth and his brother.

"Would you like some coffee Merle?" she asked quickly, moving away from them swiftly.

Daryl must have heard the unsteadiness of her voice because she saw him frown slightly at her out of the corner of her eye.

"Nah. Don' got time fer it. I's supposed to take yer asses down to git work assignments. Its simple shit. Jus' rotatin' on what needs doin'. Laundry, gardenin', cleanin', construction, ya know, borin' shit." Merle spoke all this to Daryl, already appearing to forget that Beth was in the room.

"Don' y'all need help on the walls?" Daryl asked, turning his frown towards Merle.

"Y'all are new, no way tha Governor is givin' y'all weapons. It'll take a while."

"What do you do Merle?" Beth asked once she felt like she could speak without betraying her gloominess to either of them.

"Work wit tha Governor," he cut his eyes over to her.

"So, like a soldier?" Beth asked, "That's what it looked like y'all were when we got here."

Merle nodded slightly, "Yeah somethin' like that. Tha ain't fer you either baby brother," he said quickly, answering the next question before it was asked. "'Specially since yer paired."

Beth raised her eyebrows at Merle's words and looked to Daryl who shrugged in response. Beth tried to catch Merle's gaze but he was looking everywhere except for at her. He started rubbing the back of his neck with his one good hand and shifted his weight back and forth.

"Fucks wrong wit ya Merle?" Daryl asked. Beth's stomach was starting to hurt with nerves from the way Merle was acting.

Merle closed his eyes, a look of pain crossing his face. When he opened his eyes he looked directly at Daryl, "It ain't somethin' fer ya Daryl." He turned and met Beth's gaze straight on, unnerving her more than when he wouldn't look at her. "An' hopefully it ain't somethin' ya ever need to learn 'bout Blondie."

The three of them stood in the small living room of the apartment and Beth felt the silence threatening to pull her down. Merle's words were filled with a sorrow that only came from knowing something bad that she was sure he didn't want to know. She glanced at Daryl, but he was watching his brother with a scowl on his face, a look of concentration marring his features as he tried to figure out what Merle wasn't saying. Beth knew Merle wouldn't talk more with her there, and she could only hope that Daryl would tell her if it was something bad.

Finally Merle broke the spell. "Fuckin Debbie Downer. Let's git this shit goin Darylina." Beth watched the smile return to his face. Before he turned completely away from her, she caught Merle's glance and saw that his smile didn't reach his eyes. He gave her a firm nod before turning fully back to Daryl, motioning for the two of them to follow him out the door.


End file.
